Barely Synonym

“I’m not a good man. A good man would sacrifice you to save the world. I have no such inclinations.” When one is offered a job that would have them set for life, would they allow a fickle thing such as a moral compass stand in their way? Abigeal Starr, former soldier of the US Army, didn’t think so. It had been surprisingly difficult to get a stable job after leaving the military and she was barely managing to keep her head above the water. She couldn’t even afford the rent on her small flat so she’d had to take in a roommate whose personality frequently clashed with hers. Tired, frustrated and dangerously approaching desperate, she found a job which was almost laughable in its simplicity: assassinate a billionaire. She couldn’t believe how much she was going to be paid for one task, but she quickly discovered that it wasn’t going to be as much of a walk in the park as she had thought. Will she follow through with her task? Or will her conscience get the best of her? Find out more in the story!

I thought I buried them in the past, but oh, was I wrong. Five years ago, my father told me to protect the pack even if it meant framing three boys I barely knew. The Alpha triplets, golden boys, were responsible for my mother’s death. I thought they were gone for good. But now they’re back. Stronger, Colder, ready to drown in the blood of their enemies, me. And somehow... the Moon has chosen them as my mates. They don’t want love. They want revenge. And I’m the girl wearing the crown they swore to destroy. They were my enemies, my mates. I could run. I could fight. But in this school, there’s nowhere to hide. And I was no coward. I would never submit, even if it meant going through hell for the crimes I didn't fully understand. And the worst part? This cursed mate bond. The heat, the lust, the pull. I hate them. They hate me. And still, my body burns for them. They were my biggest punishment and in a twisted way, my salvation.

It shouldn’t have to be difficult, Ashton,” I uttered, my voice quivering as I stared at him. “It was a mistake, Novah,” he sighed, closing the door on my face. “I love you,” I whispered, my heart cracking as I stared at the door. He was never going to see me as anything other than his pathetic step sister. I could never be more. Novah’s life wasn’t as perfect as the world thought. Trapped in a house that felt too cold to be called a home. With a father who barely looked at her, without hatred in his eyes. But the world didn’t know that, all they saw was the perfect daughter, and a great student. All Novah has ever wanted was love, someone who sees her to be just as more than just a nerd. Worlds collide when she realises that the boy she had been crushing on for two years would be her step-brother. Will Novah kill the feelings that she had harboured for years? Or will she act on them and deepen the rift between her and her father? In the toss of family and love, where do morals stand?

"Say you love me," Gabriel growled, his body slamming into mine with brutal force. I bit my lip hard, tears welling in my eyes. ‘No,’ I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible. He thrust harder, as if trying to consume me. "Just say it. Pretend for once." "Never." I swallowed the moan rising in my throat. In the midst of his frantic thrust, we both reached a climax. It was absurd-- two people who hated each other so deeply, yet perfectly attuned in bed. We'd known each other for ten years, but Gabriel’s hatred for me was palpable. He blamed me for the deaths of his mother and brother, making me the scapegoat for his grief and rage. He made things difficult for me, treating me like his personal plaything. But I loved him, secretly. A love poisoned by pain and humiliation, suffocating me all the time. Then, one day, he pressed a trembling kiss to my lips and pleaded, "Camille, don’t leave me. Never."

"I'm carrying your child, Alpha Donavon," I said, watching his reaction from the ground I sat on. "Repeat what you said," he said, and he walked towards me while I stood up from the ground to face him. "I'm carrying your chill..." I barely completed when I felt his hands on my throat, gripping it hard and cutting me short of breath. This cannot be my child! Because I'm impotent," he said, spat on my face while throwing me across the room, with my body sprawled on the ground.   When the daughter of Alpha Donavon's arch enemy tells him she's carrying his child after a night with her, he rejects and disposes of her claims because he's impotent. What happens when, years later, Alpha Donavon realizes that he's not impotent and Zuri is carrying his child when he sees them? Does he claim them as his, and does Zuri give him the chance to?

"You are getting married to Damien McMillan, the eldest son of the McMillan family" --- Claire was told to get married to a man she barely knew because of business income and public rumors. The McMillan family had been their enemy and business rivals for over ten years and all of a sudden, she was getting married into that same family. She couldn't object even if she wanted to because she was mute. Because of her disability, her family treated her like nothing and they only saw her as a tool for cleaning up their mess. Damien McMillan on the other hand was twisted. No one knew the real him because his attitude and intentions were hard to detect. Damien was also facing the same cruel life as Claire - cleaning up his family mess because he was a half-breed (stepbrother). Even if they saw him as a tool, Damien was something much greater. Damien was hiding his identity and was waiting for the right time to expose it but suddenly, he felt another leech around his neck when he was told to get married to Claire Adamson, the youngest daughter of the Adamson family.

“That’s not my baby.” His voice echoed through the room, sharp and cold, slicing through the warm, celebratory atmosphere we’d carefully set up. Everyone went still, and I felt my heart lurch, every beat heavy with disbelief. I stared at him with wide eyes, hoping I’d misheard. “What?” The word barely escaped my lips, a fragile whisper. He didn’t even flinch. “That is not my baby,” he repeated, louder, as if to make sure everyone—his family, all gathered here—would hear. *** Darla was rejected by her fiance three months before her wedding claiming that she was sleeping with other men. She was humiliated and kicked out by his family despite her pregnancy, returning home, she was met with the tragic accident of her whole family. Not only did she lose her family and fiance in one night but she was also found out that her fiance was getting married to his claimed cousin. She vowed to take revenge on them and win back everything that belongs to her.

Pretend to be his fiancée. Save her brother’s life. Simple, right? Celeste Harper has spent her life barely keeping her head above water. A struggling voice actress drowning in medical bills for her comatose younger brother, she’s out of options—until an offer lands in her lap that’s too good to be true. The catch? She has to pretend to be Vivian Lancaster, the woman who walked out on Lucian Aldridge, a billionaire CEO who lost his sight in a brutal accident. Lucian is furious, bitter, and impossible. He wants nothing to do with Vivian, but when Celeste speaks, he recognizes her voice. He has no idea it’s not actually Vivian standing in front of him. Trapped in a dangerous game, Celeste must keep up the act, convince a man who hates her that she’s someone else, and navigate the growing, undeniable tension between them. But secrets have a way of unraveling. And when Lucian finds out the truth—it won’t just be his heart on the line.

SofiaI’ve made it a point to steer clear of the men who work for my father.  I have no intention of getting tangled up in that lifestyle.  But there’s something about Roman, an irrepressible energy that snaps and sizzles between us.  From the moment we met, his dislike was palpable.  And nothing has changed in the three years I’ve known him.  If I were smart, I’d stay away. But I’m not smart. RomanThe moment I saw her, I knew she had the power to destroy everything I’d spent years trying to accomplish.  I can’t allow that to happen.  Most days, I’m barely civil to her, because I know all hell will break loose once the floodgates open.  Nothing I’ve found douses the combustible energy that flares to life between us.  It’s as frustrating as it is dangerous.  One of these days I’m going to get burned. Or end up with a bullet in my head.Claiming What's Mine was created by Jennifer Sucevic, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

At 22, as the Santoro heiress, I'm choosing a husband out of the three Guerra brothers to honor the marriage pact between our families. I pass on Aurelio Guerra and choose the eldest brother, Cesare Guerra, the one with the burn scar on his face, leaving everyone in the Mafia reeling. Everyone knows I put aside my pride as a perfumer for Aurelio and shrank myself until I barely exist. For him, I even leaned on the Santoros' muscle to build his power base. In my last life, I married him, just like I'd always wanted. With the Santoros behind him, he became the youngest Don in the Mafia. After he was established, he hooked up with my stepsister, Maeve Santoro. Together, they stole the new perfume I created, "Reverie", locked me in the lab, and set the place ablaze, reducing me to ash. Now that I've been reborn, I decide to drag those two cheaters to hell myself. But then Aurelio comes back too, carrying the memories of our last life.